Removing grub

SlickSlick Upstate New York
edited February 2006 in Science & Tech
Anyone have experience with linux and windows? I had a dual installation of fedora core 4 and windows XP on my computer. I decided to delete the linux partition however now a minimal use version of grub is left as my bootloader. After using the commands
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1
boot
I am able to boot up windows however I would like to replace grub with the original windows xp bootloader. I looked around the web a bit and it says to put in the windows xp disk and type FIXMBR in the recovery console. I did this but it couldn't find my drive, I believe this is because it is a serial ATA drive and the windows installer doesnt come with drivers for it by default. Any ideas?

Comments

  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited February 2006
    Did you forget to push f6 for the sata drivers ?.
  • SlickSlick Upstate New York
    edited February 2006
    I couldn't remember if you install these while the windows installer is loading or during the install. I guess it is while it is loading. However I only have the drivers on a floppy disk, and I no longer have a floppy drive, is it possible to load them from anywhere else?
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited February 2006
    Slick wrote:
    I couldn't remember if you install these while the windows installer is loading or during the install. I guess it is while it is loading. However I only have the drivers on a floppy disk, and I no longer have a floppy drive, is it possible to load them from anywhere else?

    You could slipstream them on a cd using nlite.
  • SlickSlick Upstate New York
    edited February 2006
    I'm kinda confused as to what nlite does, but I will definatly check it out and give it a try. Thanks for the help.
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited February 2006
    It lets you do alot of cool things with xp like intergrating updates ,service packs, drivers and making it an unatended setup.
  • skrykingskryking
    edited February 2006
    I believe you can get yourself a windows9x/me boot disk and run fdisk /mbr from it. that would wipe the grub loader and XP should fix itself on the next boot... This is only a belief though as I don't often touch windows systems.

    Skryking
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    yea fdisk /mbr should do it...
  • SlickSlick Upstate New York
    edited February 2006
    From reading the web it that command installs a DOS bootloader and not the XP one. Not possitive, but I think the recovery console was is the way to go.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    fdisk /mbr wipes the MBR which is a bad idea. You want to use the XP recovery console (an option on the XP boot CD) and type fixmbr when you get to it.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Both commands function much the same except that fdisk /mbr zeros the disk id area...

    This quote is from Microsoft...
    The Recovery Console, a troubleshooting tool in Windows XP Professional, offers a feature called Fixmbr. However, it functions identically to the Fdisk /mbr command, replacing only the master boot code and not affecting the partition table.
  • EMTEMT Seattle, WA Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    fdisk /mbr will wipe the master boot record but I think it also replaces it with win98's mbr. That might be the same as NT but it'd be safer to go the Recovery Console->fixmbr route.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Why do you think it would be safer ?
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    The XP recovery console FixMBR command replaces the MBR with the XP one which is EXACTLY what he wants to do, stop complicating things sdgcan. Replacing the MBR with a Windows98 one will NOT help.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    Stop complicating things ??? :wtf:

    There's is really no difference in the 2 commands except that fdisk /mbr zeros the disk id area which at times can prove to be an advantage over fixmbr...and again I'll quote this which is right from Microsoft.
    The Recovery Console, a troubleshooting tool in Windows XP Professional, offers a feature called Fixmbr. However, it functions identically to the Fdisk /mbr command, replacing only the master boot code and not affecting the partition table.
  • sdgcansdgcan
    edited February 2006
    And just to prove it to myself, dunno why I needed too, I just booted an XP box I got on the bench here up with a win98 startup disk and did an fdisk /mbr, pulled the disk and hit the reset button....guess what it re started and booted into xp, found new hardware...because fdisk /mbr zero'd the disk id, restarted as prompted and all is well.

    Imagine that Enverex :tongue:
  • skrykingskryking
    edited February 2006
    Personally I think the ultimate fix should have been to re-install linux on the system and get rid of the XP partion, then go out and purchase a copy of vmware and make the windows XP installation a virtual installation :)...

    Skryking
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Don't you read the news? VMWare is free.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
    edited February 2006
    ya'll are making it sound like removing grub is so difficult.

    all you have to do is type fixmbr in a Windows command Prompt it will get replaced. (its either fixmbr or fix mbr) try both lol
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    I'm with sdgcan on this one. I've never had a problem using fdisk /mbr with an NT-based version of Windows. That is, of course, you use a version of FDISK from at least Win95 or later. Older (DOS 6.22 and earlier) versions *will* rewrite the partition table.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited February 2006
    There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing fdisk /mbr.

    However if you don't have a win98 boot disk then it doesn't mater. Going into rconsole from an XP cd and doing fixmbr is going to do the trick.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Maybe the issue with him NOT using the Windows98 Boot Floppy and fdisk/mbr is that Win98 floppy may not be picking up the SATA drive in the first place...:scratch:
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited February 2006
    QCH2002 wrote:
    Maybe the issue with him NOT using the Windows98 Boot Floppy and fdisk/mbr is that Win98 floppy may not be picking up the SATA drive in the first place...:scratch:
    Its more then may its definatly wont. (Dos has no sata drivers)
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited February 2006
    QCH2002 wrote:
    Maybe the issue with him NOT using the Windows98 Boot Floppy and fdisk/mbr is that Win98 floppy may not be picking up the SATA drive in the first place...:scratch:

    I was only responding to the concept that fdisk /mbr was in some way a bad thing to do. His issue is more then just the sata drivers - he doesn't have a floppy drive to do any of this off of. You'll also need a floppy drive to load sata drivers for the windows xp recovery console fixmbr method to work.

    So you are in a bit of a pickle. You can try and make a slip stream cd with the drivers built in and for the long run I'd recomend this method. A simple fix is to go get a floppy drive and hook it up.

    Then there's another way, it's not clean but it'll do the job. You need to get a copy of Knoppix, Ubuntu live, or any other linux live cd that you prefer. Boot up with it. Hopefully you'll be able to mount the sata drives. If not you are sunk. If you can mount the sata drives though just change the boot device to be your windows drive. That should bi-pass the mbr.
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